Prague Botanical Garden, Botanical garden in Troja district, Prague, Czech Republic
The Prague Botanical Garden occupies a hillside in Troja above the Troja Château, with about 52 hectares, of which 27 hectares are fenced. Its best-known structure is the Fata Morgana greenhouse, opened in 2004, divided into dry tropical, wet tropical and cool sections; the wet part holds a large aquarium with an underwater tunnel. The Japanese garden, planted from 1995 to designs by Kamila Skálová, has a mountain stream, maples, rhododendrons, bamboo and koi carp.
The Prague Botanical Garden was established in 1966 as an educational institution for short-term recreation of Prague residents, following plans from the 1930s. The original design for 130 hectares was never realized; construction took place in the 1970s and 1980s. The introductory exhibition opened in 1992 on 3 hectares.
The garden serves as a place where visitors move between different plant zones to experience nature within the city. Local schools and families visit regularly to learn about plant diversity and conservation.
The garden lies on a slope above the Troja chateau, facing the Vltava; the Fata Morgana greenhouse stands outside the main garden grounds. The grounds are partly free and partly ticketed, and the 3 km Havránka nature trail with nine information boards runs outside the paid section. Reach it from the Holešovice metro station.
In 2011, a sandstone slab in the garden yielded remains of Anomoepus, a reptile that lived in the early Triassic. The Fata Morgana greenhouse, opened in June 2004, stands outside the garden's own grounds and holds a large aquarium with an underwater tunnel in its humid tropical section.
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